Seth: An Imprint Story
by HPobsessssssed7
Summary: There was something important that Seth wasn't telling me. Something that could alter our relationship forever. Something that Emily knew. And something that I was going to find out. SethxOC
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Chapter one of my newest story in the Twilight universe! Huge thanks to my amazing beta __**Faerie0975**__, you should definitely check out her stuff! _

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, all familiar characters are property of Stephenie Meyer.**_

_Preceding Note: This story takes place three years after Breaking Dawn. Seth lives with Leah in his parent's house. Sue lives with Charlie— they're married. Seth is eighteen, Leah, Emily, and Sam are twenty-four. _

**Chapter 1**

**Elysa's POV**

"Sam?" I called, upon entering the cozy front hallway of Sam and Emily Uley's place. I didn't knock, there had never seemed to be a reason to. My mom used to babysit for Sam when he was younger, and so he'd grown up alongside my family and myself. Actually, he had mostly grown up around my older brother, Spencer, and my older sister, Lyra. Sam is six years older than me. When I was 12, we moved away from La Push and all the way out to New Jersey. Which was alright, but really different. And then halfway through my senior year of High School, my mom decided she missed La Push, and she moved my dad, herself, and me back out west. Spence is in Med School at NYU, he's 24, and Lyra, who's 21, is about to start her 4th year of college. She's working on a five year program for her Master's degree in teaching at The College of New Jersey. In January, just after I started High School on the Rez, I started going out with Seth, who was the reason for this visit…

"Kitchen," Sam's gruff voice called out. I walked the familiar path into the kitchen and found Sam sitting on the counter next to a myriad of ingredients and putting them together to form a sandwich. "Hey, Elysa," Sam said, as he slathered mayonnaise onto the bottom slice of a hamburger roll.

"Hi, Sam," I said, pulling out a chair from the table and sitting down.

"What can I do for you?" he asked, putting a small stack of tomatoes onto the roll.

"I wanted to ask you something, if I could?"

He nodded, "Sure."

"Thanks," I said, smiling tentatively. "Do you know if Seth is alright? He's been acting a little… off… lately."

Sam laughed, "How would _I _know? You're the one he spends all of his time with."

I shook my head, "Not recently. He's been working all the time. And he won't tell me what he does for a living, just that he works for Jacob Black."

Sam furrowed his brow in confusion, "If he works for Jacob, then why are you talking to me about this?"

"I don't know… I guess, I know you, and I don't know Jacob. And I thought you spent time with the Clearwaters since Emily's related to them and I thought you'd maybe know what was up…"

Shaking his head, Sam looked up from his sandwich (which was growing to be a dangerous size) and glanced at me. "Elysa, what do you know about Seth?"

"I know that I love him— but he doesn't know that, so keep your mouth shut. And we've been going out for months. I know that he has a nice family and I know that I like his in-laws. I know he never fails to make me smile, and he's always optimistic."

"And isn't that enough?" Sam asked. He was staring into my eyes, and I got the impression that he was looking for something in them, that, or he was trying to convey a message to me.

I shook my head, "It should be. I wish it was. But he's keeping something from me and I know it's something I need to know."

"Elle," Sam said as he started putting away his sandwich ingredients, "he _really _cares about you."

"First." I retorted, "Don't. Call. Me. Elle. Second, how can you be sure?"

"I'm sure," Sam stated with a tone of finality. "Just talk to him."

"I would _love _to," I said, crossing my arms, "but it seems that every time I call he's either working, asleep, or nobody answers."

"Stay here," Sam said, stuffing part of his sandwich into his mouth. He left the kitchen and came back into the room with a phone in his hands. "I'll call and see if he's there. And then I want him to speak with you."

I rolled my eyes. I'd been trying to reach Seth on the phone for the past week. Everytime I called, Leah or his mom answered. What were the chances Sam would have better luck than I?

"Hi, Leah," Sam said, licking mustard off the tips of his fingers. "Is Seth there? He's sleeping? It's eleven AM, wake him up. Oh, really? What time was he on his shift until? That's enough sleep, just wake him up. Thank you." To me, he added, "She's waking him up."

"How did you get her to do that?" I exclaimed, "She won't wake him up when I call, no matter how hard I try."

"I suspect she didn't really want to speak on the phone with me."

I nodded and then Sam put the phone back to his ear. "Morning, Seth. Hold on one second."

"Here—" Sam said, handing me the phone, "talk to him."

"Hello?" I said, more nervously than I would have a typical occasion.  
"Elysa?" Seth said, puzzled and groggy.

"Yeah," I said, "it's me. Listen, Seth, we really need to talk."

"Sure," he said, "sure… What's up?"

"What's up," I said, "is you're avoiding me. Big time. And I'm not okay with it. There's something you're not telling me."

"What has Sam told you?" asked Seth.

"Nothing. No one tells me anything! Why? What does he know?"

"Nothing," Seth said quickly. "Absolutely nothing."

"Seth!" I cried, "Stop lying! Please, please stop lying…"

"You're at the Uley's place now?" he asked.

I nodded. Then, remembering Seth couldn't see me, I said, "Yeah, why?"

"Stay there." Seth said, "I'll be over soon."

"Okay…" I said uncertainly. Before I could say anything else, Seth had clicked off the line and I was left holding the phone, dumbfounded. "Sam?" I said, turning to him as I put the phone down. "What do you know?"

"Nothing," Sam said, eating the last of his sandwich. "I've got to go to work. Emily should be back from the store in about an hour. Just hang out here until Seth comes. Help yourself to any food."

"Wait— Sam? Where do _you _work?" I asked as he headed for the door.

"Talk to Seth, then me," replied Sam, and with that, he left the house, and I was standing alone in the kitchen.

"Great. Just great," I muttered to myself unhappily.

**Leah's POV**

"Seth?" I called into his bedroom.

"Come in," he replied softly.

"What did Sam want?" I asked tentatively upon opening the door. Seth was sitting on his bed, lacing up a pair of boots.

"_Sam _didn't want anything. I didn't even talk to Sam," whined Seth.

"Then who did you talk to?" I asked, puzzled.

"Elysa," Seth said simply.

"Why are you complaining, kid? She's your imprint, for crying out loud!"

"She's mad at me. Really mad. I'm losing her trust," Seth explained.

I rolled my eyes, "Well, stop being an idiot and fix whatever it is you did!"

"I didn't do anything!" Seth exclaimed.

"Then why is she so mad?" I asked Seth as he rose from his bed and proceeded to leave the room. I followed him into the kitchen.

"She's mad because she doesn't think I'm being honest about something."

"Well," I said, "you aren't. Are you? Have you told her anything about your being werewolf?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

Seth shook his head as he took a glass out of the cabinet. "I've been avoiding her. I'm not ready to tell her yet, and I don't think she's ready to hear it."

"I think you're underestimating her," I said as he filled his glass with water from the tap. "Besides, isn't it better to tell her now and give her some time to get used to it?"

"Leah, I honestly don't think it's the right time," Seth told me, taking a sip of water.

"Seth, you've got the girl of your dreams. Don't ruin it. You're going to have to trust Elysa to be strong enough eventually. When are you going to tell her?"

"I don't know!" Seth exclaimed.

"You're headed over to see her now?" I asked.

Seth nodded, and I nodded back. "Alright," I said, "I'll go with you and help explain the werewolf thing. You can tell her about the imprinting part when you're ready. But don't wait too long."

"Thanks, Leah," Seth said, sincerely.

"Anytime, kid," I replied. "You ready to go?"

"Sure."

I nodded and then changed the subject, "So…" I said, treading carefully but curiously, "you didn't talk to Sam at all?"

"Well…" he replied, "He asked me to hang on and then passed the phone to Elysa. That's it. Sorry. Were you hoping to hear from him?"

I shook my head, "No, I was just curious. I haven't really talked to him or Em since the wedding…"

Seth nodded as we made our way outside. "Well, you better brace yourself. We're headed over to his place."

I nodded, "Yeah, I figured that out…" Then, after a pause, I asked, "Are we still running 12 hour shifts?"

"Yeah, we're on at noon," Seth responded. "Now… your car or mine?"

"Mine," I said, jumping into the driver's seat of my 2009 Jeep Wrangler.

I saw Seth roll his eyes as he jumped into the seat next to mine. "Hey," I said, "remember when we were younger and we used to fight over who got shot gun?"

"Mhmm," Seth replied. "Things have really changed."

I nodded, "Yeah. Yeah they have," I shook my head and took a deep breath. "You ready?" I asked.

"Not at all." He replied, and with that, we were off.

_A/N: That's all for chapter one! Please, let me know what you think! I'll update next week! Until next time; Cheers!  
~BeverlyAnna _


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Chapter two! I'm really sorry that it took me so long to update this! Truth be told, I forgot I had posted this until I saw that I had a story alert tonight! Tell me what you think in a review, please! And thanks to my first reviewer: _**luvsbooks412****. **Also, _ huge thanks to my amazing beta __**Faerie0975**__, you should definitely check out her stuff! _

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, all familiar characters are property of Stephenie Meyer.**_

**Chapter 2**

**Seth's POV**

It was true that I'd always seemed to miss Elysa's calls, but it wasn't on purpose. There'd been a couple of rogues in a nearby town recently that the pack needed to take care of and we were still policing the area. There was also a vampire frequently reappearing in La Push and Forks. And it wasn't like I hadn't been with her. I was near her every chance I got… she just didn't know it. I was aware that Leah was talking to me while she drove — probably more about how things used to be— but I wasn't listening to her. Because of this, she had to repeat her statement three times before it sank in.

"Seth! I'm talking to you!" Leah exclaimed.

"Sorry," I said, "what?"

Leah rolled her eyes, "I _said _how do you want to tell her? Do you want to show her? Or do you want to let her yell at you first? Or what?"

"Oh…" I thought for a moment, "I'm going to let her have it out. Give her a chance to scream at me. Then I'll hope she'll hear me out."

Leah nodded as we pulled into Sam and Emily's driveway. I got out of the car and walked steadily to the door, being as optimistic as possible. Which was hard to do, because Elysa could leave me. But I'd _need _her. I could only hope I hadn't made Elysa so angry that she wouldn't forgive me. I pulled the door open and made my way to the kitchen, sure that that's where Elysa would be.

Though I knew she was mad at me, I couldn't help but smile upon seeing her copper skin, hazel eyes, and long shining black hair. "Hi, Ellie," I grinned. I was aware of Leah rolling her eyes behind me, but I was more aware of Elysa's expression. She was biting her lip and looked to be in pain. And it killed me to know that I had caused her to make that face. Wasn't I supposed to be hers eternally? Wasn't I supposed to make sure she was okay? I shouldn't have kept the distance I had been.

Elysa hesitated for a moment before saying anything, but when she did, her words cut like a knife. "Hi, Leah," she said, not even sparing me a glance.

"Hi, Elysa," Leah replied.

"I didn't realize you'd be here, too." Elysa said, sullenly.

"Yeah, sorry. I needed the car after Seth, though, and there wasn't going to be enough time for me to get it if I didn't come, too." Leah lied, it came easily to her.

"Where's Seth's car?" Elysa asked, still speaking to Leah and not addressing me.

"Jacob has it," Leah lied again.

"Oh, well if _Jacob _has it…" Elysa trailed off and shook her head, obviously annoyed.

"I'll be in the den," Leah said, "call me when you're ready, please."

I nodded and turned back to Elysa. "So, you're angry with me." I stated.

"Obviously!" She exclaimed, "You've been avoiding me like the plague and whenever I call, you're either sleeping or working. And what is it exactly that you do! Your hours are _never _the same and I can't get _anyone _to tell me anything about it! I really think it's best for you to either tell me what you're doing or to just end things right now."

I went to protest, but Elysa kept talking, "No. Don't interrupt; I'm not ready to hear it. If this relationship is going to go anywhere I need you to be honest with me. Completely honest. So what is it? Are you working for the FBI, cheating on me, or just avoiding me? Either way, all of the options are crappy. Oh— and before you answer _that_ question, tell me this. When did Jacob Black become such a major part of your life? I never heard you talk about him as anything more than your friend, and then — bam! All of a sudden it's like hero-worship. You're always with him! And, Seth! You're only eighteen, Seth! Aren't you too young to have a job this… demanding?" Elysa began to breathe in slow, steady breaths, so I knew she was done for the moment.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before speaking, "First off, I _swear _I'm not cheating on you, nor am I avoiding you… And I'm sorry you've been feeling how you have. It was never my intention to make you feel mad or angry, but you have a right to. I feel horrible, Ellie, you have no idea—"

"Stop!" Elysa exclaimed, "Stop being so nice! You're making it impossible to be angry with you! Just tell me what you do? Please."

"Yeah, I want to, Ellie. I just… I just don't know… you're going to be surprised. Okay? And I don't want you to be angry with me for not telling you sooner. Just hear me out, please?"

"Oh, gosh…" Elysa muttered, "You're not like a—"

"Please," I jumped in, cutting her off, "Don't guess. It's _nothing _like what you're thinking."

Elysa nodded and Leah reentered the room, "Are you ready for me?" She asked.

I looked to her and said, "Yes, thank you."

Elysa looked confusedly between the two of us, but she didn't say anything.

"So…" I said, "You… uh… you know all of the Quileute legends, right?"

Elysa nodded and I turned to Leah, hoping she would go on for me.

"Well," Leah said, "they hold true. All of them. And don't laugh," Leah commanded. "I'm serious."

Elysa gave a skeptical look, "Right… I'll go with that for a second. A _short _second, mind you. What does it have to do with Seth's job? And why are you in here, Leah? No offense intended, but really."

Leah rolled her eyes, "I'm here because Seth and I have the same job, and he's too chicken to explain what we do."

Elysa nodded, "Alight… And what does that have to do with our legends?"

Leah looked to me knowing that I should be the one to answer that question. "Well… one legend in particular is important here." I said, "Do you remember the legend of the Cold Ones?"

"Sure," Elysa said, "the one with the Spirit Warriors who turned into wolves and fought to protect the tribe from vampires, right?"

"Yes," I replied, "that's right. So, um… Leah and I… for a living… We're those protectors."

And that's when Elysa lost it, "Oh, c'mon! Stop lying and cut the crap!" She screamed, standing up from the table. I'd never heard her speak that way.

"Elysa, he's serious," Leah said on my behalf.

Elysa laughed, "You're expecting me to believe that you two are— what— wolves?"

"Yes! That's exactly it!" I exclaimed. "Please believe me, Ellie, please?"

Elysa shook her head, trying not to cry now, it seemed. "I'm sorry this is such a huge joke to you, Seth. But if you wanted to break up with me than you should have just said so. I'll see you around." She said, hesitating, but then slinking out of the room— out of the house. I chased after her, but when I reached outside I found Elysa mid-hug crying into Emily's shoulder.

"Ellie, please!" I begged, "Look at me and let me explain."

Ellie shook her head, which was still buried in Emily's shoulder. "Stop calling me Ellie." I heard her choke out.

"Seth," Emily said, turning her head to me, "I think you need to go."

"Emily, please." I protested, "I just need five minutes."

"Not now, Seth." She replied, "Just go, please. We'll work it out later."

"Fine." I said, "I'll go get Leah."

"Actually," Leah said from behind me, "I'm going to hang out here until it's time for patrol. I'll see you in another half hour. Take the car." With that, she tossed me the keys and I sighed.

"Fine," I repeated, losing my grip on reality. First, my imprint was sending me off— then my sister. Lost and confused, I made my way to the car.

**Emily's POV**

I was still holding tight to Elysa as Seth left the lawn. I was… confused. I wasn't sure why Elysa was upset, nor was I entirely sure why she was at my house.

"Shh…" I soothed, flattening Elysa's hair, "What happened?"

Elysa shook her head against my shoulder, "Nothing. I'm sorry." She choked out.

"Don't apologize," I said, "come on, let's head inside."

Leah held the door open as I ushered Elysa back into the kitchen. "Sit down," Leah said, "I'll make some tea." When I gave her a puzzled look, she rolled her eyes. "_What_? I can act like an adult sometimes, too."

I nodded and let it go at that. We sat in silence for the next ten minutes, letting Elysa reflect. When Leah brought the tea over to the table, I decided that it was time to break the silence. "Talk to me, Elysa," I said.

She dried her eyes one last time; just to make sure the tears were gone. Then she said, "I don't even know anymore."

"What caused the tears?" I asked.

"Seth." She responded, "It's always Seth."

"What did he say?" I asked, concerned.

"Nothing, it's what he _didn't _say. I think we've broken up, anyway." She said, looking distressed and burying her head in our hands.

"You have not broken up." Leah said. "Seth and I… we were telling you the truth."

Elysa glared across the table, "Leah, I refuse to believe the fact that my boyfriend is a werewolf. I'm sorry."

My eyes went wide, "That's why you're mad? Because Seth told you he was a werewolf?"

"Yes!" Elysa exclaimed, "If he was going to lie, couldn't he have picked something more realistic?"

Now it was my turn to defend him, "Elysa, Seth wasn't lying."

Elysa groaned, "You're in on this, too, Emily?"

"I'm not trying to be the bad guy here, Elysa. Do me a favour and hear me out. First, look at me, go ahead and stare. What's the first thing you notice about me?"

"Your eyes." Elysa said, not seeming to get where I was going with this.

"That isn't true," I said, shaking my head. "The first thing you— or anyone else, for that matter– notices are my scars. Don't deny it." Elysa didn't interrupt, so I kept talking, "How do you think these scars got here?" I asked.

"You were mauled by a bear." Elysa said, "You _were _mauled by a bear, weren't you?"

I shook my head, "No. Not at all. I was standing too close when Sam phased."

"… When Sam phased? You… You're… You're saying Sam's a wolf, too?" Elysa sputtered.

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

"Talk to Seth, please?" Leah asked, "It's important. _Really important_."

"Alright," Elysa said, "I'll talk to him. But, can you show me first? So that I know this is real and not just some elaborate hoax. And then could you maybe explain this to me with a little more detail?"

I glanced at Leah and in turn Leah glanced at her watch, "I actually have to go for patrol. You can see me phased if you want. As for more information, I think we should leave that to Seth?" Leah looked to me for confirmation— not that she needed it— and I nodded my head back in agreement.

"Okay," Elysa said, standing up and crossing her arms over her chest, "phase."

I cracked a smile and Leah burst out laughing, "Yeah. Right. And destroy Emily's kitchen? Come outside." Leah left the room and went outside while Elysa and I followed her.

"Keep up," she called, "I can't be late!"

I followed her towards the woods, but Elysa seemed to be having second thoughts. "C'mon," I urged her, "It'll be fine, I promise."

We followed Leah about 30 yards into the forest before she stopped walking. "Just so you know," she started, "I'm not phasing back until after patrol."

I nodded and Elysa stared, dumbfounded. Swiftly, Leah pulled off her sundress, and before Elysa could so much as gasp in surprise, a large silvery grey wolf was standing in Leah's place.

"Did… she… just… okay." Elysa stuttered.

"Thanks, Leah," I said, "it was nice to see you, stop by soon, okay?" The large wolf nodded her head and was off running far into the woods. "C'mon, Elysa," I commanded, "let's get you back to the house _before _you pass out."

Elysa didn't strain the slightest bit as I dragged her back in the direction of which we came.

_A/N: That's chapter two! Sorry I forgot to update! Please, let me know what you think! I'll update next week! Until next time; Cheers!  
~BeverlyAnna _


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Let's be honest… I forgot this existed. I pretty much forgot fanfiction existed. But I've got a fair amount written and so I'm just going o post it one day at a time. Sorry in advance for anything that isn't grammatically correct, but I'm leaving it this way. Hope you enjoy; let me know what you think!_

**Chapter 3**

**Leah's POV**

In my haste to get away from Elysa's ignorance and to get to patrol, I'd phased nearly ten minutes earlier than I'd intended. Great. Just great… It was all of three seconds after I'd phased that I heard Quil and Embry's arguing voices.

_No_, Embry growled, _it's your turn to run the far perimeter. I did that yesterday. _

_C'mon_, Quil pestered, _please, Embry? I'm tired. _

I rolled my eyes before jumping into the conversation, _Quil, shut up. We're all tired, it's a stupid excuse. Run the far perimeter. _

_You're not the boss of any of us! _Quil protested, though it was feeble, and I could tell by the tenor of his thoughts that he'd already given in.

_Now_, _Quil. And that isn't a suggestion. _

_Stupid she-wolf, _Quil grumbled as he made his way out to the far border.

_Thanks, Leah. _Embry said, _That was nice. _

_Don't get used to it. _I said. _And stop letting Quil try to push you around!_

_I'm not trying to push him around_! Quil exclaimed.

I rolled my eyes, _Whatever. Do either of you know what time it is?_

_Nope, _Embry replied, _you should be the one telling us. _

_Right, _I consented, _I guess we'll just have to wait for Jacob and Seth, then. _

_Didn't you notice the time at all? _Quil asked, _How much time do you think we have left for our shift?_

_No, sorry, I didn't happen to catch the time while I was dealing with Elysa's meltdown, _I snapped at Quil.

_Elysa's meltdown? _Quil questioned, ignoring my attitude, _care to explain?_

_Sure, _I said, _I've got nothing better to do. _And with that, I replayed the conversation I'd just experienced between Emily, Elysa and myself. There wasn't too much surprise from either boy, because, honestly, we'd all seen doubtful imprints before.

Quil gave a mental sigh, _Do you think Claire will react this badly?_

_Nah,_ Embry began to reason, _she'll have grown up around all this; she has to figure out at some point that you're not normal. _

_Good point. _Quil replied.

_Then again… _I said, _she could get angry with you for not telling her sooner… _

_She won't, _Quil thought, _she won't… _

_Just keep telling yourself that, bud, _I chuckled.

_Leah, stop, _Quil chided, _just because you can't imprint doesn't mean that you need to try and scare those of us who can._

_Quil, why don't you shut up? _I growled. _Imprinting's caused enough trouble, just drop it. _

_True, _Quil said, _but it's mostly just caused trouble for those who _can _imprint. You on the other hand… The lone she-wolf… the genetic dead end… You'll be stuck this way forever. Watching everyone else imprint while you're still here…_

_ Quil, shut _up_! _I exclaimed, _You don't know that! You don't know anything. _

_ Neither do you. _Quil complied. _At least I know I can stop phasing whenever I want and still lead a normal life, what do you know, Leah?_

Basically, I knew Quil was being a jerk. And I knew I'd lost control. Before I could stop myself, I was charging at him, muzzle open, hair standing on end. I took a swipe at his neck, and caught him just before he got away. I proceeded to pin the stupid juvenile to the ground and was about to strike again when Jacob and Seth's thoughts entered our heads.

_Leah, _Jacob snapped, _what are you doing! Get off him. How can you expect them to run a patrol when you're getting into fights?_

_How is this _my _fault? _I snapped back, moving as Jacob had indicated that I should.

_Don't talk back, Leah. _Jacob said, _Quil, Embry, you can go. _

_ Awesome! _Quil said cheerily, _Goodnight. _ Then he added, _I'll see you later, Leah_, in a sickeningly sweet voice.

_Drop dead and die, Ateara. _I snapped back, and with that, Quil's chuckling voice phased out of my head.

_Leah, could you try not to be bitter for the entire patrol? _Jacob asked, half-teasing, half-serious.

_Jake, not now. Not today, please. _

_Did you just say please? _Jacob asked, feigning shock.

_Jacob! _Shut up_!_ I exclaimed.

Jacob rolled his eyes, _Leah, _he said, _the far perimeter's yours. Seth, take the neighborhood woods. I'll get the in-between._

I grunted in affirmation as I trotted to the edge, Seth remained silent and I realized for the first time that I'd been too enthralled by my own seething to listen to him. His thoughts were a buzz of panic about Elysa.

_Seth, Emily's going to talk to her and tell her what she can. She'll be fine if you give her time, _I said, jumping from annoyed to big-sister-mode.

_She's right, Seth. Elysa will be fine with this. _

_ I hope so, _Seth said, _can we stop this conversation now, please?_

_ Of course, _I responded, and we all lapsed into our own thoughts as we patrolled.

An hour later and I was forced to still be listening to Seth and Jake's endless thoughts on imprinting. It was nearly impossible to _not _let my own mind wonder onto the subject. I'd tried thinking on the scenery, the smells… nothing around me worked. And I didn't want to think on the other imprints in the Quileute packs. I was over that… mostly. It stung quite a bit sometimes, but I'd only after I'd had it shoved in my face. Like Quil just had… so, it was stinging. But not a lot. And I wasn't thinking about it. At all.

_You know, Leah, telling yourself you're not thinking about it doesn't actually stop you from thinking about it. _

_ Shut up, Jacob. _

_ Sorry, _he responded, _I was just saying…_

_ It's not important anyway. _I said.

_I know it's not, _Jacob replied. And we drifted back into our own thoughts once again. And the boys continued to think about their imprints… and my mind continued to stray… But this time I was thinking about possibilities. Meeting _someone_. Someone who wasn't here in La Push. Dreaming about getting away. Somewhere… anywhere.

_You'd leave? _Seth asked, this time, _You'd leave the pack? You'd leave me?_

_ I wasn't saying I'd leave right away. But, eventually, I think it'd be nice, yeah. _

Seth didn't respond, but Jacob did. _C'mon, Seth, we've all thought of leaving at one point or another._

_ No, _Seth replied, _we haven't. You have and Leah has. But you never actually left. Leah's different from you. She'll actually leave. _

_ You're right, _I stated, _I would leave. But not right now. And besides, you know it's not like I have a true reason to stay. _

_ Isn't the pack enough? _Seth asked.

_No, _I answered honestly. _I don't think it is. _And, with that, I changed the subject. _How long are we going to be running long shifts for, Jacob?_

_ If we don't find anything new, _he responded, _then we'll go back to normal after tomorrow. _

_ Great, _I thought, happily. I was ready to go back to single shifts that last six hours instead of twelve.

_We all are, _Jacob said. Then he quickly changed the subject, catching me off guard. _Why were you attacking Quil?_

_ No reason. _I lied, and Jacob knew it. That was the problem with inter-connected thoughts. No secrets. We all knew _everything_.

_Oh, really? So, you just attacked him to keep him from his work? _

_ Jacob, this is stupid. Why do you even want to know? _I asked.

_Because, _Jacob said, _how do you expect me to reprimand him if I don't know what he did? _

_ I don't expect you to reprimand him. I can handle Quil myself. _

_ Yes, but it's not your job to—_

_ Who cares? _I cut him off, _It's not your job either, and it really doesn't matter. Please, just stay out of it? _

_Fine, _Jacob said, _but Seth and I are here if you need us. _

_ Thanks, _I said, and with that, the conversation dropped for another hour…

_Hey, Jake? _Seth asked.

_Yeah_, he responded.

_Do you think she'll be okay with it… with me?_

_ She'll be fine eventually_. _She's coming to terms with it all. Isn't she, Leah?_

_ Yeah, _I replied, _Emily was going to talk with her when I left. _

_ Good, _Jacob replied. _See, Seth, Emily's been there, she'll know what to say. _

_ I hope so, _Seth said, _I just don't want her to feel hurt. I wish I'd timed telling her better. So that I could've at least been there to help her deal with it… _

_ Emily's there right now. _I said, _And I know it isn't anywhere near the same, but you'll be with her right after your shift._

_ There's no way Elysa's parents will let me inside of their house at midnight. _

_True,_ I replied,_ but who say_s_ you need their permission? _

_ What do you expect me to do, break in?_

_ That wouldn't be necessary, _Jacob said, _Elysa's bedroom is on the first floor, right? I'm sure she'd open the window for you. _

_ But her parents— _Seth protested.

_Never need to know. _I cut him off, _It'll be fine, Seth._

_ Right_, he repeated, _it'll be fine. _

The rest of our patrol continued with many more conversations along these same lines. We didn't find anything new regarding the vampire, so — while it wasn't good that we had no leads— Jacob consented that we could stop with the longer shifts starting the next day.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Seth's POV**

I was nervous but happy to change back at midnight when Quil and Embry showed up. I phased without saying anything to anyone (which— in retrospect— was probably rude) and I grabbed clothes stashed in one of the many trees in the forest. Once I was ready, I ran to Elysa's house. The building was dark, which surprised me as Elysa was usually up late on summer nights. I ventured around the outside of the house until I reached the window to Elysa's room. Then, with a deep breath, I knocked on the window. It took a minute for her to respond, but eventually I could hear her stirring inside. I knocked once more and Elysa raised the blinds to the window. When she saw me standing there, she gasped. Then, after a short moment of contemplation, she hesitantly opened the windows.

"What are you doing here?" She hissed. "It's after 12 in the morning!"

"I know," I whispered back, "but I just got off work and we need to talk."

"Couldn't you have waited until morning?" she asked.

"I could have, but I have to work at 6 A.M. on Thursdays."

"Then you should be home sleeping!" She chided me.

"I'll have plenty for time for sleep later," I told her, "Will you let me in?"

Elysa shook her head, "No, I'm coming out. I could use a midnight stroll."

"Alright," I said.

"I'll be out in a minute," she said, "I'm going to change and leave my parents a note, just in case they wake up."

I nodded, "Take your time." Elysa disappeared from the window. She was gone for about ten minutes. When she came back she was wearing jean shorts, a t-shirt, and her hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

"Okay," she said, "I'm ready." She carefully lowered herself out of the window and joined me on the damp ground below. We walked in silence for a few minutes before either of us said anything.

"Listen, Ellie," I finally said, "I'm so sorry to have just sprung this on you. And I'm sorry that I didn't stick around long enough for you to ask me anything about this."

"Don't apologize about springing this on me— I was begging to know. And we did force you to leave, so it's not like you had a choice."

"I could've said no, though! And, Ellie, I want you to know that I'm an open book if you want to know anything. And I mean _anything_, all you need to do is ask."

"Thanks, Seth," Elysa said as we strolled though the dark forest. "Seth," she said after we'd walked a little further, "I think that we should talk about something…"

"Whatever you want," I responded as we stepped across the damp debris underfoot.

"I think we need to… Maybe we should—" At that moment, Elysa was cut off by the loud call of a wolf. A warning sound to the rest of the pack. A warning that we needed to phase.

"Hold that thought, Elysa," I said, scooping her into my arms.

"Seth!" She exclaimed, "What_ are _you doing!" When I didn't respond, Elysa filled in the blanks for herself, "Oh, gosh… that… that howl… was a warning call for you, wasn't it?"

"Yes," I said simply, "and I need you to stay in your house. Please. I'll try to come back as soon as possible, but I don't know when that'll be." Elysa nodded her head as I placed her on the ground in front of her bedroom window.

"Be careful, Seth?" Elysa asked, pleadingly.

"Always." I replied. "Promise that you won't leave your house until I give you the all-clear?"

"I promise," she said. With that, I gave her a quick, chaste kiss before running back into the woods and phasing once out of site.

_Fill me in_, I said quickly, knowing I was later than everyone else, _what's going on?_

_We've got a new trail, _Jacob replied, _it's the same scent as before. She knows what she's doing. _

_ Has anyone made contact? Or even visual? _I asked.

It was Embry who answered, _Oh, there was visual. Stupid leech ran straight through the camp grounds down the road. I signaled while I was chasing her. _

_ How far did you get? _I asked.

_Straight to the ocean, _Embry responded, playing the events in his head, the vampire had long straight brown hair and killer read eyes. _I told you, she knows what she's doing. _

_ Our main goal right now is to figure out who she is, why she keeps coming back, and if she's following a pattern, _Jacob said.

We spent the next ten minutes brainstorming her motives. Who was she? What was so important to her? She hadn't tried to hunt, but her eyes were red…

_Has anyone informed the Cullens? _I asked.

_They know there's a vampire in the area, _Jacob said, _I'll let them know she returned as soon as I phase back._

_ What are we doing as far as shifts go? _Leah asked.

_For now, I want two of us on. Just until sunrise. Then, I'll go talk to Sam and see what he's doing. If we have one person from each pack on guard, that should be enough. _

_ Who's staying on? _I asked. We'd been out for about half an hour, it must have been going on 1 AM.

_I'll finish out my shift, _Embry said.

_Thanks, _Jake replied, _any other volunteers? It's just until 6 AM; then I want all of us to meet._

_ I'll stay on, _Quil said.

_Sounds good, thank you. I want all of you back here at 6 AM, no complaints; I'll be getting less sleep than all of you._

With that, we were dismissed. I knew Jacob was wrong, I'd be getting fewer hours of sleep than him. As I ran back to Elysa's house I thought over the day. Once I reached the woods connecting to her yard, I phased back, threw on a pair of shorts, and ran the rest of the short distance to her room. I wasn't sure if she'd want me to wake her up, but I decided to go ahead and knock.

"Seth," she mumbled as she pulled open the window— she was still wearing the jeans she'd changed into— "is everything okay?"

"Everything will be fine." I said, "Do you want to ask questions now, or later?"

"Now," she said, "tell me what's going on _now_."

I nodded, "Alright."

"Step aside," she said, getting ready to jump down from her window.

"Are you insane!" I exclaimed, "I'm not letting you back out here, not with there being a vampire on the loose!"

"Then I suppose you'll want to come in?" Elysa asked, not waiting for an answer and simply stepping away from the window.

"Thanks," I said, jumping in and taking a seat on the floor. "Now, I believe you have questions for me? Or that you wanted to say something?"

"I do want to say something," Elysa said, "but may I ask my questions first?"

"Of course," I responded.

"Thanks," Elysa said, "first things first, how many of you are wolves?"

"Me, Leah, Jacob, Quil, and Embry are a part of Jacob's pack. Sam's pack consists of him, Paul, Jared, Collin, and Brady."

"Why are there two packs?" Elysa asked, curiously.

"It's a _long _story."

"Quick version?"

"Alright… we were one pack. Then, when Sam wanted to kill Bella, Jacob broke off on his own, because he disagreed with Sam's choice. I followed Jacob. Leah followed me. Quil and Embry jumped in eventually."

"Sam wanted to _what_?"

"Well, you have to see where he was coming from. Personally, I believe Sam was wrong, but I do see his integral point."

"You see a point for Sam to want to _murder _a person?"

"Well, she was about to become a vampire like the rest of the Cullens. It's our job to protect the people here from vampires. Sam takes his job very seriously. I think Sam would have been alright with her change if it weren't for the baby—"

"The baby?"

"Bella's baby— Renesmee. Really, Nessie is what Sam wanted to destroy, but the only way to get rid of her was to get rid of her mom." (_A/N: Has anyone ever tried explaining _Twilight _to a friend who hasn't read it? It gets really confusing, really fast._)

"_Wait._ Bella is Renesmee's actual mom? Renesmee looks so old."

"Yes. It's a vampire thing. Actually half-vampire, half-human..." I rambled; I hadn't realized that once I started to talk I wouldn't be able to stop.

"Okay," Elysa said, "we're done with this conversation now."

"Sorry," I said, "what did you want to say before when I had to go?"

"Oh… I… honestly… Um…"

"You can tell me anything," I said, grabbing Elysa's hand.

"Look, Seth," she said, pulling her hand out of mine, "this is just… it's a lot, you know? I think I need a break."

"A break? From…"

"From us," Elysa replied, "I think we need a break. I just… I need time to think over everything you've said to me today."

I nodded, "Sure, sure. I understand."

"Thank you, Seth. Thank you for being so honest with me, and thank you for hearing me out."

"Always," I responded.

Elysa pulled me into a tight hug, "I'm sorry. I think you should go, Seth." She said as she released me, "Thanks again."

I nodded as I stood up, feeling numb. She'd rejected me. But could I blame her? Not really, no. All I knew for sure was that I wasn't getting any sleep tonight.


End file.
